​Members of the European Alliance bureau visited the Scottish Parliament on Monday 14 December in a meeting hosted by Stewart Maxwell MSP.  As part of the study visit they met with Keith Brown, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities and Christina McKelvie MSP, Convener European and External relations committee who dis...
​The Leader of the Shetland Islands Council Gary Robinson, who represents Scotland at the European Committee of the Regions, COTER commission, tabled a range of proposals that aimed at ensuring that EU policies better reflect the problems of the Islands, remote areas, and more widely, local communities. Currently this is done by “EU statistical reg...
​On 11 December 2015 the COTER commission held a debate with OECD Deputy Secretary General Mari Kiviniemi on the state of play and future joint cooperation between the COR and OECD.  She reported on the results of the first Joint Consultation on Infrastructure Planning and Investments across levels of government and referred to the well-being...
​During the 6th Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the Committee of the Regions, Mr Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs was invited to discuss with the ECON members on the 2016 Annual Growth Survey, the European Semester and developments of EMU governance.  Addressing Commissi...
​On 10th of December, the Commission for Economic Development (ECON) of the Committee of the Regions approved the draft Resolution on the 2016 Annual Growth Survey. Ms. Maria João Rodrigues, the EP rapporteur on the 2016 AGS, was invited to join the discussion with ECON members. EA coordinator for ECON and Mayor of Białystok, Mr Tadeusz Trusko...
​Addressing the President of the of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with Jean-Claude Frécon, during the 115th Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions, Cllr Kieran McCarthy has highlighted the importance of genuine and transparent local elections as the basis for a functioning democracy and appreciate...
​On 4 December 2015 Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Member of Cork City Council, participated as EA Group representative in the meeting of Steering Committee of the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform. He welcomed the Work Program of the Monitoring Platform for 2016. "I am enthusiastic about new code of conduct to work closely with LRAs in Europe. Building...
​The December CoR Plenary saw the latest edition of the European Alliance group art exhibition 'my region, our schools'. This magnificent depiction of the activities surrounding schools was held in primary schools across nine EU Member States. The EA President Mr Szwabski said that it was a joy to see through childrens' vision and a...
​On 3 December the CoR debated in the presence of Commissioner Mr. Avramopoulus and MEP Mrs Kyenge about the future EU agenda on migration.  Karl Vanlouwe, member of the Flemish Parliament, taking the floor on behalf of the EA Group highlighted that local governments are in the frontline in managing this crisis and it consequences.   &...
​During a debate with the European Commission Vice President Timmermans at the CoR Plenary session, Cllr Tony Buchanan, SNP East Renfrewshire Councillor and interim chair of the NAT commission of the COR, called strongly upon Timmermans to reverse the decision on the European Commission Transparency register.  "As an elected representati...
​On 3 December the CoR debated the opinion on standards of remuneration in employment. During this debate Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, Mayor of Białystok and EA coordinator for ECON Commission said: "The document entitled 'The standards of remuneration in employment in the EU' suggests to approach the wage level in all regions of the European U...
​On 4 December Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, Mayor of Białystok, EA Member was appointed as Chair of the CoR Interregional Group on less developed Regions in Europe. The Members of the Group approved the work programme. Mr Truskolaski said "We wish to show that these regions have far bigger problems. We will also examine the effectiveness of cohesio...
​Cllr Tony Buchanan East Renfrewshire Council, Scotland is the current chair of the Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the EU Committee of the Regions, a body that brings together councillors and members of devolved parliaments from across the EU to work together on EU Agriculture Rural, Fisheries issues.  As chair of the NAT commissio...
​​​​On 20 November the ENVE commission adopted a declaration on  the recent automotive emission tests' scandal.  This statement was strongly supported by the EA Group political coordinator Andrew Cooper.  The statement is as follows:  'The ongoing scandal of certain car manufactures cheating on vehicles (diesel and pet...
​Long term unemployment has dramatic consequences, especially in terms of poverty and social exclusion, says Cllr Kieran McCarthy, EA coordinator in the SEDEC commission. Long term unemployment often causes a higher demand for social housing and local and regional authorities are the ones that bear the costs of ineffective policies in the area of u...
​An important aspect was raised by the EA member Mr Marek Olszewski during the debate on fostering inclusion and equality through investment in education in the SEDEC commission.  The recognition of skills and competences acquired through non formal and informal education is required to enhance employability, argued the EA member.  There ...
​On 17 November the 7th Subsidiarity Conference took place in the Flemish Parliament. In the presence of European Commission Vice President Timmermans, the Luxembourg Minister of Labour Schmit as well as several MEPs, Karl Vanlouwe, the EA Group  member called for Member States to grant regional and subnational parliaments the possibility to p...
​On 16 November CIVEX commission paid tribute to the victims of Paris Terrorist attacks and decided to focus future work on enhancing the capacities of local and regional authorities to prevent radicalisation and counter terrorist threats and violent extremism.  The commission's members adopted the work programme for 2016 which also lists mig...
​The President of the European Alliance group expressed his deep condolences to the victims and families of the brutal attacks in Paris on Friday night.  These are attacks on the people of Europe and its values.  President Szwabski added 'our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this very difficult time'. 
​At a meeting in the historical capital of Montenegro, Cetinje, both Cllr Hughie McGrath, EA member from Tipperary County Council and Aleksandr Bogdanović Mayor of Cetinje were elected co-Presidents of the Montenegro Joint Consultative Committee.  Cllr McGrath said he was honoured to be elected to such an important position and his aim was to ...
​Scottish EA member Cllr Gary Robinson  from the Shetland Islands highlighted the importance of multi-level governance and its interaction with the Lisbon Treaty (TFEU) at the 12th Meeting of the CoR Joint Consultative Committee - former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia held in Ohrid on 28 October 2015.  Mr Robinson said: "The Lis...
​At a seminar during Open Days for Regions and Cities this week the President of the European Alliance Group called for more to be done to help the regeneration of town and city centres.  This needs to be on smaller scale projects as there is a tendency to direct EU finance to large projects in larger cities but we need to change this mind-set...
​The CoR Plenary unanimously adopted the opinion of Dr Uno Silberg on the Draft EU budget for 2016.  The annual EU budget has both a direct and indirect impact on the budgets of local and regional authorities and that's important in helping than to carry out their assigned tasks in times of difficult economic environment and scarce financial ...
​The CoR plenary adopted the opinion of the EA member and member of the Welsh Assembly, Rhodri Glyn Thomas on developing the potential of ocean energy.   Energy from tides and waves could provide up to 10%of electricity demand by 2050 and contribute to job creation at local level, the revitalization of small middle size ports and the developm...
​In the presence of the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the COR Plenary session, EA Group 1st Vice President and member of the Flemish Parliament, Karim Van Overmeire highlighted that present instability inside the EU and at its borders is highly felt at local level where targeted policies and instruments have to be put in place, such...
​During the October Plenary Session the CoR members approved Cllr Tony Buchanan (Councillor from East Renfrewshire Council in Scotland) opinion on CAP simplification. A simpler more flexible Common Agricultural Policy will reduce the impact of the volatility of the market and revitalise rural economies. In his opinion he welcomes EU plans to reduce...
​During the Committee of the regions debate with the Commissioner Hogan, Mr Enda Stenson, EA coordinator for NAT commission made a plea to the Commission to facilitate young people to go back to farming. "I think the future must be attractive for young farmers" he added.  He highlighted: "Where I see a major disadvantage wi...
​During the debate with Mr Günter H. Öettinger Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society organised as a part of the Plenary Session Cllr Kieran McCarthy, EA coordinator for SEDEC commission that it is highly important to safeguard of local and regional specific content in the new Digital age. "Sometimes I feel that regardless of what media ...
​At the opening of the 13th edition of Open Days European Week of Regions and Cities and in the presence of Commissioner Moedas and Commissioner Cretu, the European Alliance group President, Mr Stanisław Szwabski, highlighted the need for a geographical quota to be applied to the EU investment plan.  If this is not undertaken there is a danger...
​The EA Group congratulates Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, EA coordinator for ECON commission and the President of Białystok on becoming the President designate of the Interregional Group on the Less Developed Regions at the CoR. This Group was  formally set up in March 2015 to address the problems affecting this category of regions. It gives it...
​On the proposal of Councillor Gary Robinson, Leader, Shetland Islands Council,  Members of the Committee of the Regions Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU budget (COTER) Commission today decided to organise a seminar   "Barriers to Economic Development and Wealth Creation in a Remote Island Community" in Ler...
​On 2 October, COTER commission debated the obstacles hindering cross-border cooperation and discussed the relevant opinion which looks at the current regulatory framework and possible changes to be introduced.  The EA Group coordinator and President of the Valle d'Aosta region, Mr Augusto Rollandin, said during the meeting that rules need to...
​At the first meeting of the CoR high level taskforce on Ukraine,the EA group President, Mr Stanisław Szwabski welcomed the initiative which will give greater interaction,  advice and cooperation between the CoR and local and regional authorities in Ukraine.   Participants who also welcomed the CoR focus on Ukraine included Andrej Plen...
​During the ECON meeting in Gelsenkirchen in Germany on 29-30 September 2015 the members of ECON commission adopted 3 opinions: Trade I Services Agreement (TiSA), Sharing Economy and Efficient Corporate Tax System in the EU.   Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, EA coordinator to ECON commission said that Europe's priority today is to promote sustain...
​​​​​​​Upon a suggestion of the EA Group Political coordinator, Cllr Andrew Cooper, the ENVE commission, meeting in Brussels on 28 October, debated the recent VW emission scandal.  The EA political coordinator asked the European Commission to support the passing of funds from any compensation claims to municipalities enabling them to establish...
​ During today's meeting Cllr Kieran McCarthy, EA coordinator for SEDEC Commission participated in the debate on Employment and Social Policies in the context of Labour Mobility. Free movement for workers is not only an essential element of the EU's Single Market, but an asset to all EU countries. He argued that the low degree of labour mobil...
​At the Agriculture and Rural development commission meeting (NAT) which was held on the 21st September, during a debate on "Innovation and modernization of the rural economy", Cllr Enda Stenson called for targeted and real investment in broadband and services in rural areas.  He said that rural areas were being decimated by the lack...
​At the CoR NAT commission meeting Cllr Tony Buchanan's opinion on the simplification of the Common Agriculture Policy was warmly welcomed as members felt that by simplifying processes and rules this would lead to further creation of jobs and growth in the rural communities.  This opinion not only sets out the short term proposals that can im...
​Mr Dariusz Wróbel, Mayor of Opole Lubelskie and member of the European Alliance group participated in this high level meeting of the CORLEAP Bureau (Conference for Regional and Local authorities for the Eastern Partnership) in Yerevan, Armenia on Friday 18 September 2015.  During the debate Mr Dariusz Wróbel highlighted the need for local au...
​On 17 September a delegation of members of the EA group led by the President Mr Szwabski participated in the COTER commission seminar on challenges for crossborder regions in Liberec (CZ). The region has a unique location as it borders with Poland and Germany The seminar objective was to identify the obstacles hampering cooperation between cross b...
​On 15 September 2015 Cllr Anthony Buchanan, vice-president of the NAT commission and the CoR Rapporteur on CAP simplification was invited by European Parliament to give the presentation on the implementation of the second pillar of the CAP perspective during the Hearing on implementing the CAP at regional level.   "Agricultural sub...
​​​​​During the debate on the current migration and refugee crisis at the CoR CIVEX commission, the EA group coordinator Karl Vanlouwe said the current migration and refugees crisis requires extraordinary measures.  The EU need to put in place a stronger border policy, which has not been in place up until now and ensure the resettlement schem...
​The EA Group congratulates its President for his award for services to local government. Mr Stanisław Szwabski, President of the EA Group in the Committee of the Regions and Councilor of Gdynia was awarded the Order of Honour for services to local government.  The Order was received from the hands of the Minister of Administration and Digiti...
​At the CoR bureau meeting in Luxembourg on the 2nd September members debated a 'new impetus for cross-border cooperation'.  The European Alliance President participated in the lively debate and successfully added to the CoR declaration a focus on cooperation between schools and educational establishments by adding the following texts. 'C...
Cllr Tony Buchanan, 1st Vice President of  NAT commission and the CoR rapporteur on the 'Simplification of the CAP (Common Agriculture Policy)  met with representatives of  Commissioner Hogan and  Mr Alyn Smith, MEP to discuss his draft CoR opinion.  Cllr Buchanan has welcomed the request from the European Commissioner for...
​At a high level meeting between the Conference of Presidents of the Committee of the Regions and the President and Directors of the European Investment Bank, both institutions agreed to cooperate more in promoting and encouraging investment across Europe in order to achieve the goals set out in the €315 billion 'Junker' plan.   The Presi...
​During the discussion on the opinion on the Tax Transparency Package in the ECON meeting, Mrs Gilian Ford, Councillor of London Borough of Havering,  expressed her concerns over the manipulation of tax through evasion and avoidance presented to ECON in a communication from the European Commission today at the CoR - the 1 trillion estimated lo...
​The ECON commission meeting which was held in Brussels on 15 July 2015 included the participation of Mrs Viviane Reding, MEP. She discussed the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) with the CoR members. The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) is a trade agreement which has been under negotiation since early 2013, currently between 24 members of the W...
​On 13 July the COTER commission held a debate in the presence of the EP REGI committee Chair Ms Mihaylova where members debated about topics of common interest such as the implementation and simplification of cohesion policy, cross border cooperation, the EU Urban Agenda. Mr Kieran McCarthy, EA acting coordinator for the meeting,  thanked th...
​The priorities of the EU annual budget for 2016 were at the heart of the discussion between COTER members and Ms Nadia Calviño, Director-General for Budget of the European Commission. Mr Uno Silberg (EE/EA), CoR rapporteur on the Draft EU Budget for 2016, voiced local leaders' full appreciation for the main proposals made by the Commission: en...
Winners of the 10th edition of the EA/CoR Secondary Schools participated in the COR plenary session in 8-9th July. The competition took place in eight member states, involving pupils with ages between 14-18 years. The competition's first stage was a multiple choice test that assessed the pupils' knowledge on the European Union and the EU institutio...
​During the last plenary session Mr Kieran McCarthy, EA Coordinator for SEDEC Commission, addressed the Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Mr  Carlos Moedas. He welcomed the openness of the European Commission to cooperate with the CoR in the aspect of RTD and creation of the Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP) which should be a good tool...
​The EU efforts to build a Capital Markets Union must promote small and medium enterprises' access to new sources of finance, allowing them to grow and expand to new markets. This call was the core political message of the opinion adopted on 8 July by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).   "The building of a Capital Markets Union...
​On 8 July at the CoR Plenary session, Karim Van Overmeire, member of the Flemish Parliament and 1st Vice-president of the EA Group addressed the Luxembourgish Minister of the Interior on the EU Presidency Programme."There are a number of huge challenges ahead of us and bridging the gap between the EU and its citizens is the most important one...
​On 8 July, CoR members discussed with the European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on the role of regions and cities in the Energy Union flagship initiative. The EA Group coordinator in the ENVE commission, Cllr Andrew Cooper underlined that real energy security for future generations will only be achieved through serious investment in e...
​Following  the debate with the CoR members during last NAT commission meeting in Porto (19 June), Portugal, Cllr Tony Buchanan, 1st Vice President of  NAT commission and the CoR Rapporteur on CAP simplification met today the stakeholders to debate the need for CAP simplification. After the stakeholders meeting he also met the representat...
​On 30 June the ENVE commission adopting the opinion of the member of the Welsh assembly Mr Thomas have called for more EU investment to be funnelled into ocean energy. As part of the drive towards creating a more sustainable economy, the local leaders note that renewable energy from tides and waves could satisfy 10-15% of EU power demand by 2050 a...
​On 30 June the ENVE commission discussed and adopted opinions on the Paris Protocol – (climate change), the Energy Union Package and on developing the potential of Ocean Energy, the latter prepared by the EA member Rhodri Glyn Thomas. The CoR members were also discussing the future of the Covenant of Mayors and the revision of the  EU Birds a...
​During its meeting on 25 June 2015 SEDEC Commission of the Committee of the Regions adopted four opinions on: Digital Single Market, Review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, standards of remuneration in employment in the EU (a living wage) and the role of Social Economy in combating unemployment and restoring growth.  The EA M...
​On 22 June the CIVEX commission held its meeting in Kolobrzeg, Poland. The members adopted the opinion on the review of the European Citizens initiative (ECI), a tool which provides citizens with an indirect right to legislate while enhancing their participation in shaping EU policies. The CIVEX commission members called for a greater involvement ...
​At a meeting of the NAT commission in Portugal Cllr Enda Stenson, Member of Leitrim County Council and EA group coordinator of the NAT commission said that the EU must invest in innovation, infrastructure to modernise the rural economy.  He says rural areas across Europe are being decimated by young people leaving to find work in cities. ...
​On the invitation of Mr Karim Van Overmeire, Alderman of the City of Aalst, Member of the Flemish Parliament, the European Alliance Group of the European Committee of the Regions held its extraordinary meeting and a seminar on 'Fostering and Promoting the Cultural and Linguistic Heritage of Europe' in Aalst (Flanders).   A vibrant debate was...
​During the last Plenary session Mr Stanislaw Szwabski, spoke to Mr J-C Juncker, President of the European Commission about the need  of solidarity in enlargement and neighbourhood policies of the EU.  "The process of uniting Europe/of unification of Europe is first of all a peace project.  An extension of the area of freedom an...
​On 4 June 2015 Mr Stanislaw Szwabski, EA President participated in the high level conference organised by the Polish Delegation to the CoR on "Europe level up = governance level down. Decentralisation and multilevel governance as key factors for a stronger Europe".  25 years ago in Poland the self-government level was restored as a ...
​​​​​During the debate on the future of the EU in the presence of the MEPs Elmar Brok, Mercedes Bresso and Guy Verfhostadt, the  EA Group member Karl Vanlouwe made a plea for a comprehensive reform of the EU. The latest elections results across the EU do provide clear signs that the EU does not have sufficient support. The EU must change to ...
​The CoR Bureau meeting held on Tuesday 2nd June 2015, agreed on issuing an own-initiative opinion proposed By Mr Anthony Buchanan, 1st Vive President of  NAT commission on the simplification of CAP.  While the CAP has been agreed for 2014-2020 there is still a need for further simplification. Thus, it is of great importance that the CoR ...
​ At its meeting in Riga, the COTER commission discussed with the European Commission about areas of cooperation.   When it comes to the urban agenda the EA group members declared:" We see there is a bias towards urban areas that makes rural development secondary. We would like to see greater integration between regional as well as...
​On 12 May, during the COTER meeting, Kieran McCarthy, EA member on the EU2020 Steering group presented the survey on the involvement of LRAs in the design and implementation of operational programmes which feed into a CoR opinion.  The Cork city councillor, while presenting the findings of the survey, said: "While some LRAs have bee...
​On 12 May, the working group on Budget met for the first time in Riga since the start of the new CoR mandate 2015-2020. After the election of the President, in the person of Albert Bore, members discussed in the presence of the European Commission and the EIB on how to boost the use of financial instruments. Financial instruments are an important ...
​In an article published in the newspaper  De Tijd, the member of the Flemish Parliament and the EA group in the Committee of the Regions Karl Vanlouwe, and MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt have argued for greater involvement of Flanders in the EU decision making process and for a more prominent role of national and regional parliaments to ensure the ...
​On 7 May Members of the ECON Commission, approved the opinion of Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, the Mayor of Bialystok, EA Group coordinator on the Capital Markets union. The creation of the union capital markets is one of the main priorities of the European Commission in the current term.  "In my opinion, regional and local authorities feel c...
​On 5 May the EA member and rapporteur for the opinion on "Developing the potential of Ocean Energy" met with key stakeholders to discuss about the opportunities and challenges facing this promising sector.  The rapporteur and the key interested actors in the development of ocean energy technologies stress that the sector has a huge...
​The NAT commission met in Brussels on the 05th May 2015 and discussed the opinion on aquaculture and Civil Protection.  Cllr  Tony Buchanan, 1st Vice Chair of the NAT Commission welcomed the own-initiative opinion on aquaculture and said: "Scotland is the largest producer of farmed salmon in the EU. These sea farms are a key sou...
​On 4 May the ENVE commission met to discuss the EU flagship initiatives Energy Union and the climate change negotiations and the contribution of local and regional authorities. The ENVE commission also discussed the opinion of the EA member Rhodri Glyn Thomas on developing the potential of Ocean Energy.  Stewart Maxwell, Vice President of th...
​During the last SEDEC commission meeting on 29-30 April 2015 in Santander, Spain the COR members discussed 3 opinions: Employment Guidelines, Standards of remuneration in employment in the EU (A Living Wage),  Review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and The role of Social Economy in combating unemployment and restoring growth. ...
​On 24 April the CIVEX commission members discussed the recent tragic events in the Mediterranean and concurred the European Council proposed measures were not far reaching enough.   In line with the declaration issued by the CIVEX commission President, the EA group leader Mr Stanisław Szwabski, added that the EU must show greater solida...
​Representatives of local and regional authorities from the EU and Eastern Partnership countries have adopted political recommendations on 23 April 2015, ahead of the forthcoming Eastern Partnership Summit of Heads of State, to be held in May this year in Riga. At its annual meeting of the Conference of Regional and Local authorities for the Easter...
​On 20 April Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Member of the Welsh Assembly and Rapporteur on the own initiative opinion on Ocean Energy met with Sean Kelly, MEP and Derek Vaughan, MEP to discuss about the huge potential of tidal lagoon, tidal stream and wave technologies in achieving climate change objectives and delivering sustainable growth and green jobs at ...
​On the 17th April Uno Silberg was elected as the 2nd Vice President of the CoR Interregional Group “Baltic Sea Regions”.  He was delighted to accept this prestigious position and said: "it is important that the Baltic Sea Region has a coherent policy strategy which will be of benefit to all its citizens and this needs to feed into th...
​Cork City councillor and member of the EA Group highlighted during the CoR Plenary debate on the Juncker Plan the importance of reaching out all regions and ensure the funds are also directed to small regions and small scale projects. In this respect he calls for the CoR to be involved in the governance process of the Fund to ensure fair distribut...
​In a major debate on the future of the dairy industry held in the Committee of the Regions in Brussels on the 16th April Leitrim County Councillor Enda Stenson called for measures to ensure that farming can be a secure, sustainable industry that can attract and retain young people.  Cllr Stenson said that Milk quotas are now gone and now we ...
​During the Committee of the Regions debate on an 'integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe', member of the Flemish Parliament Karim Van Overmeire said that it was imperative that the EU promotes and preserves Europe's Culture and Heritage.  He added that Cultural heritage is a very broad concept which does not only include tangible...
​The President of Valle D'Aosta Region and EA Group coordinator in the COTER commission has pointed out during the COR Plenary debate on the implementation of the White paper on Transport that there are regions such as mountainous areas, sparsely populated areas, rural areas and border regions, that by their very nature are in a disadvantaged posit...
​On 22 March 2015, the EA GROUP 1st Vice President Karim Van Overmeire took part in a joint CoR-Council of Europe Election observation Mission in the autonomous region of Gagauzia (Moldova). This election was for a Bashkan (Governor) of the autonomous region who automatically becomes a member of the government which is currently pro EU and based in...
​Rhodri Glyn Thomas has been appointed ENVE rapporteur on "Developing the potential of Ocean Energy".  The Seas and oceans and lagoons offer a promising future as they could provide unlimited clean energy. With this own-initiative opinion the rapporteur would like to draw attention to the huge potential of ocean energy in achieving c...
​The CoR bureau meeting in Riga discussed the reduction of the Digital Divide in Europe and also the use of the EU investment package to develop digital infrastructure as well as making it more accessible across the European Union.  The European Alliance Group President Mr Szwabski welcomed this focus but criticized the decision of the EU Cou...
​At a meeting of the enlarged Conference of Presidents in Riga on the 17th March the European Alliance President Mr Szwabski highlighted the need of the CoR to focus its work on Energy Security which is of paramount importance to economic development in Europe.  He also said that more attention needs to be placed on neighbourhood policy. ...
​On 12 March 2015 NAT commission organised the seminar entitled Action Plan for the future of organic production in the EU: time for regions to act. Organic production is an overall system of farm management and food production that combines best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, the preservation of natural resources and th...
​On 5 March 2015 Members of the NAT commission adopted the opinion on the Future of the dairy industry. Mr Enda Stenson, EA Coordinator for NAT commission mentioned during the debate that "the systematic monitoring of the development for the post-quota period is needed from the farmers' point of views. Dairy production provides a vital economi...
​​​​On 3 March the ENVE commission debated future priorities with the European Commission and the European Parliament in the presence of Commissioner Vella and the ENVI committee Chair, Mr La Via.  The EA coordinator in the ENVE commission, Mr Andrew Cooper, questioned the European Commission's ambition concerning the future circular economy ...
 On 2 March the COTER commission met to discuss the implementation of the EU 2020 Territorial Agenda, Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes and the European Fund for Strategic Investment ( EFSI). The EA coordinator in the COTER commission and President of Valle D'Aosta Region, Augusto Rollandin, stated that "urban-rural balan...
At the ECON commission meeting on the 27 February 2015 Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski, President of Białystok was allocated an opinion on Green Paper on Capital Markets Union. Capital Markets Union is a key issue which is highly relevant in the debate surrounding the financing of SMEs and growth, as well as in relation to the completion of the single marke...
​On 26 February 2015 SEDEC Commission hosted the debate with Mr Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research and Innovation. During the debate Mr Stewart Maxwell MSP, said on behalf of EA Group that EU research funding is increasingly important in financial crisis aftermath. Highlighting that investment in research and innovation is crucial to boost gr...
The CIVEX commission adopted today the Work Programme of the commission for 2015 and discussed future priorities. The EA Group political coordinator in the CIVEX commission and member of the Flemish Parliament underlined that Subsidiarity, as well as migration and security issues should be prioritized. When it comes to Subsidiarity, Mr Karl Vanlou...
In the afternoon session of the CIVEX meeting, a high level debate on the state of decentralization in Ukraine took place in the presence of the member of the Ukraine Parliament Mr Goncharenko, deputy minister for regional development Mr Nehoda, and president of Kharkiv regional council and head of delegation of the Ukrainian local authorities in C...
​At the first meeting of the NAT commission in the new CoR mandate, Cllr Tony Buchanan, Deputy Leader East Renfrewshire Council was elected as the Commissions' 1st Vice President.  He said: I am delighted to be elected as 1st vice-president of such an important commission.  It is clear that the economic recovery in Europe must also in...
​European Alliance group President Mr Stanisław Szwabski warmly congratulated Mr Markku Markkula on becoming the new President of the Committee of the Regions.  At a time when Europe is in crisis with challenges to maintain peace across the continent and deep economic challenges it is time to group together as local and regional authorities to...
​European Alliance Group member and Cork city councillor,  Kieran McCarthy, calls  on the Latvian Presidency to ensure  stability at the EU's borders. "Europe is at a crossroads which is worrying people in cities such as my own in Cork but also across the length and breadth of the EU.  The unstable situation in Ukraine, the...
​At the Committee of the Regions Plenary Session Mr Stanisław Szwabski, EA President called on 1st Vice-President of the European Commission to ensure that local and regional authorities can work together with European Commission in having a coherent input into the Investment Package. The EA President underlined that the EU is at a crossroads chall...
The EA member and Member of the Flemish Parliament, Karl Vanlouwe, while addressing commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom during the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions underlined the potential of the TTIP for the European economy and for SMEs, although concerns remained over transparency, ISDS clause and stakeholders involvement."Despite...
​Today the European Alliance Group (EA) members, during its extraordinary meeting in Brussels, unanimously elected Mr Stanislaw Szwabski as President of the Group. Mr Szwabski is Councillor of the city of Gdynia, Poland and has been a CoR Member since 2008. Mr Karim Van Overmeire, member of the Flemish Parliament (N-VA), was unanimously elected as...
​The European Alliance group strongly condemns the barbaric attack in which 12 people were killed in Paris.  Dr Uno Silberg said: our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.  There is no reason that can ever justify such brutal murders.  He hoped that those responsible will be brought to jus...
​Dr Uno Silberg, President of the European Alliance group welcomes the priorities of the latest Baltic State to take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.  He praised the focus of a competitive Europe to promote growth and jobs, a digital Europe to seize the opportunities provided by information and communication t...